


Truth Hurts

by newsies_of_corona



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Ruddiger is the best boy, Villain Varian, and really really sad truths..., and tears, varian has a lot of issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:27:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26280373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/newsies_of_corona/pseuds/newsies_of_corona
Summary: There isn't any food left except for the forbidden truth serum cookies...But Varian is willing to do anything.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 53





	Truth Hurts

It was only one day until the attack. One long, grueling, hunger filled day. As much as Varian hated to admit it, he couldn’t go another hour without food. It had been an entire week since he had eaten anything at all, and even that was just a crude loaf of bread he found while raiding the other villagers’ houses. He didn’t think that he was going to sink this low, but once the shelves became bare in his own abode, Varian had to scavenge elsewhere for food. Everyone had deserted the town, leaving the boy to fend for himself. He had lived off of the abandoned houses’ scraps for almost three months, but the Old Coronans had taken practically everything with them when they left.

Ruddiger had helped Varian multiple times with food as well. The raccoon was quite talented at procuring scraps, and he found it in his heart to share what he had with Varian.

The alchemist was grateful, but small scraps of food would only satisfy him for so long. When Ruddiger came back empty handed that day, Varian had to move on to his forbidden Plan B.

His eyes shifted to a small basket sitting on his desk, containing the remainder of his ploy the day before. The violet cookies looked incredibly tempting, and Varian’s mouth had been watering since the moment he made them. He had resisted the temptation for 32 hours, he’d been counting, but the rumbling in his stomach would not relent. He knew what was at stake if he ate one. Since they were laced with his truth serum, he would have no choice but to be completely honest about his situation. Truths that he had buried deep inside of him would come pouring out, like the many tears he had cried over his father. Varian wasn’t prepared to face them.

The minutes he waited turned into an hour, and Varian was overcome with fatigue. The alchemist felt like he would pass out fully if he didn’t eat something soon, and fainting was out of the question. He had already sacrificed sleep for this long, and he wasn’t about to be bested by hunger.

Varian hesitantly reached for the basket, and picked out one of the enticing treats. He winced as the cookie neared his mouth, bracing for what was to come. He took a bite, and he had to hand it to himself, it was delicious. As he took another bite, he felt the thoughts starting to form in the front of his mind. He tried to resist, but it was no use.

“I-I’m tired and I-I’m hungry and-and…ngah! I just want my dad back!” Varian cried out.

The boy breathed heavily as he took another bite, Ruddiger already running up to comfort him.

“Ngah! I-I don’t even know why Ruddiger is staying with me! I-I’m planning on turning him into a-ngah! A horrible monster!”

Varian stressfully ran his hands through his mess of hair and his breathing got more shaky. He finished the cookie and reached for another one. The effects would rub off in time. He could do this.

“The-the real monster is me! I-I never wanted any of this! Ngah! I-I’m hurting my-my f…friends!”

Varian yelled angrily. as the words he hated hearing came tumbling out of his mouth. Eugene, Cassandra, and especially Rapunzel weren’t his friends anymore. They betrayed him! But the serum proved that deep down, he still wanted them to be his friends again. Varian glared at the treat in his hand, angry at his stupid truth serum cookies and at himself for speaking those forbidden truths. But it was either this or losing and that was one thing he couldn’t afford to do. He ate the rest of the cookie in his hand, swallowing the entire thing in one gulp.

“This-this isn’t who I am! Ngah-I never wanted it to go this far!”

Varian choked down two more of the cookies and tears started streaming down his face.

“Ra-agh! Ra-Rapunzel is innocent! None of this is-is her-her fault!”

Varian fell to the floor, his whole body shaking now. He felt the words coming out, and he gave in, knowing he couldn’t do anything to stop them.

“ _THIS IS ALL MY FAULT!_ I experimented on the rocks when my father told me not to, and I put his life in jeopardy! I deserve to be cast out, I’m a criminal!”

Varian started fully breaking down, spitting out words in between sobs.

“To-tomorrow I-I might kill people. _Innocent_ people, and what then?”

Varian looked up from the ground at his father’s statue, as the last few words poured out, low and growling.

“I will _never_ make my father proud.”

Varian pounded his fist on the ground loathing that phrase more than all the others. He curled up on the floor, tears streaming, saying that phrase over and over again. Ruddiger looked up at Varian and climbed onto his shoulders, hugging him and trying to comfort him.

After a couple hours, Varian finally felt the effects of the serum begin to wear off. He stood up, wiped his face, and frowned deeply, refusing to believe a word he just said. He grabbed a wrench, went over to his automaton, and continued working as if nothing had even happened.


End file.
